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Memberships in the provincial party have soared to 45,000 since Premier Dalton McGuinty announced his departure. MPP Kathleen Wynne alone has sold more than 8,000.

Kathleen Wynne, who announced her intention to run for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party at a rally in Toronto on Nov. 5, has reportedly sold the most new party memberships: more than 8,000. (Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Some 45,000 Liberals are eligible to vote for the 1,712 delegates who will directly cast ballots for McGuinty’s replacement at the Jan. 25-27 leadership convention at Maple Leaf Gardens.

As of the midnight Friday cut-off for new memberships, the party reported the seven leadership candidates turned in 27,206 forms — 23,718 on paper and 3,488 online.

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That boosted party rolls from 17,794 members as of Friday morning to exactly 45,000 by Saturday.

The Liberals had between 13,000 and 15,000 members on Oct. 15, when McGuinty announced his surprise resignation after nine years as premier. The large jump in new memberships suggests his departure is a bonanza for a party trailing in the polls.

While not all camps would divulge their tallies Saturday, Wynne sold by far the most: more than 8,000 new memberships at $10 apiece.

The Liberal campaign co-chair in the 2007 and 2011 elections touted her use of social media in promoting the membership drive.

She and former Windsor West MPP Sandra Pupatello, 50, who did not run in the 2011 vote, have been widely seen as the candidates to beat.

But former Parkdale-High Park MPP Gerard Kennedy — cashing in on the fact he left Queen’s Park in 2006 and isn’t linked to many of the governing party’s current woes — sold 5,000 memberships.

Kennedy, 52, who finished second to McGuinty in the 1996 leadership, ran for the federal Liberal helm in 2006 and was an MP until losing his seat in the May 2, 2011 election.

Pupatello would not disclose her sales, but party insiders say she sold around 4,000.

“I’m in the same ballpark as the rest,” she told the Star, declining to elaborate.

While “thrilled this race is inspiring so many to join,” Pupatello noted she has “strong support” among the 17,794 existing members who are likely more motivated to actually show up and vote at the Jan. 12-13 delegate election meetings.

Indeed, she is the party establishment’s choice, in part because some Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats privately confide she would be the most formidable candidate in a provincial election expected as early as next spring.

Beyond the elected delegates to be chosen at the meetings in all 107 ridings across Ontario on Jan. 12-13, about 800 ex-officio members, such as MPPs, party brass and Liberal candidates in the last election, will select the next premier.

If elected, Takhar, 61, a self-made millionaire businessman, promised to take measures within his first 100 days in office to improve the prosperity of Ontario families.

MPP Charles Sousa (Mississauga South) fired a shot across the bow just after midnight by being the first candidate to announce his total of more than 4,000 memberships sold.

“I’m delighted that thousands have joined the Ontario Liberal Party to support my bid to become premier,” said Sousa, 54, pointing to his “strong support” in the 905 region as well as Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Kingston, and Windsor.

MPP Glen Murray, 55, (Toronto Centre) said he sold more than 3,000 memberships.

MPP Eric Hoskins, 51, (St. Paul’s) declined to disclose how many he sold.

The candidates’ cumulative claimed tally exceeds the 27,206 new members reported by the party because of duplication.

Liberal officials will pore over the forms in the days ahead to determine how many people bought multiple memberships from different leadership hopefuls.

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